


A Quiet Space

by batsy_rocks



Series: daddy!bats is love [10]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet, Books, Bruce Wayne Whump, Community: dckinkmeme, Drama, Emotional Hurt, Families of Choice, Father-Son Relationship, Feels, Gen, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd is a Good Son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26263474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batsy_rocks/pseuds/batsy_rocks
Summary: Jason Todd visits his dad.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne
Series: daddy!bats is love [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1285442
Comments: 11
Kudos: 177





	A Quiet Space

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this prompt](https://dckinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/766.html?thread=999678#cmt999678) at the dckinkmeme.
> 
> *There's a very brief and non-graphic mention of animal trafficking and animal abuse in case you're not comfortable reading that. Also, I left out a few tags to keep a bit of mystery, but you can find them in the end notes if you need to know what you're going to find before reading.

"Hey, Dad," Jason greeted softly as soon as he entered the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click. There was no response from the other man in the room, but he didn't let that deter him. It never did.

"It's cold as balls out there," He complained as he took off his jacket and scarf, hanging them over the back of the chair along with his bag. "I fucking hate the cold."

Jason put his hands up against his mouth to blow warm air against the cold skin as he walked further into the room. He stopped by the small potted plant placed on a table by the window. The snake plant was a gift from Barbara. A little something to give the room some color, she said. He touched one of the strappy leaves with his thumb and index finger and checked if it needed water even though he knew it didn't.

"I saw Alfie on my way in," Jason commented, still standing with his back to the other man. "He was on his way out to make sure everything will be ready for the Demon's birthday diner tomorrow."

With only a flicker of his eyes in B's direction, Jason started pacing the room.

"I actually have a present for him this year. You're going to hate it," He added, flashing a grin. "It's a couple of hedgehogs. Kind of. I know the Manor is not a zoo and all that jazz, but these are special circumstances."

Jason paused for a beat before resuming his pacing.

"I stumbled upon a group of animal traffickers while I was doing surveillance last week. Real pieces of work the lot of them." Jason clenched his jaw as he remembered all the poor animals piled up together in tiny cages or boxes. A few already dead. "It was a fucking nightmare, but most of the animals were rescued alive and the thugs locked up.

"Gotham Zoo took a few of them and a rescue charity took the rest. I donated a bit of cash to make sure they would have the means to take care of them, but I found out they don't have enough personal to give the little guys the care they need, especially when some of them can't be returned to the wild because they wouldn't survive on their own." Jason had to take a couple of minutes to tame his anger.

It was bad enough to see what humans did to other humans, but what they did to those poor creatures was somehow even worse.

"That's where the brat comes in," He said when he was able to continue. "You know he's pretty good with animals, so I volunteered him to work in there for a few months. They're gonna teach him how to care for them, and if he does a good job they'll let him foster a couple once they're a bit better. There's plenty of space in the Manor's grounds for them to roam safety, and there's a chance they may end up staying permanently."

"I already asked Alfie, and he gave the okay," He added with a small smile. It hadn't been easy to convince the older man, but he agreed in the end. After all, it was a good way to give Damian something to turn his attention to right now. Jason had to promise he would be around to help take care of them too, but he saw no reason to mention that.

Jason finally flopped in the chair with a sigh, propping his feet up on the side-table and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm sure he or Goldie already told you he's getting more serious about becoming a vet, so I think this will be good practice."

Silence filled the room as Jason squeezed his eyes shut, lower lip caught between his teeth. He was usually better at this, but today he just couldn't do it. He just wasn't in the mood to talk anymore.

"I brought a few new books," Jason announced after clearing his throat, putting his feet down as he reached for his bag. He paused. "Well, not _new_ because I know you already read them, but you haven't read them in a while, at least." He pulled the books out of his bag and let it drop to the floor. "I remember you once told me _Treasure Island_ was one of your favorites when you were a kid, so I thought maybe we could read it together. I also brought _The Purloined Letter_ as per Alfie's suggestion, and _Great Expectations_ because you can never go wrong with Dickens."

For the first time since his arrival, Jason looked at his dad. There was no change in his expression, just like there hadn't been for nearly a year now. Not since the doctor came out to the waiting room where the family waited with a somber expression and the word coma was spoken for the first time. 

All at once, the sterile hospital smell and the beeping of the monitor and the noise of the ventilator filled his senses.

He fucking hated hospitals. Always had and always will. He wasn't going to let that stop him from coming twice a week to see B, however.

Jason reached for the lax hand on the bed, flinching a little, just as he always did, at the feel of the cold skin before squeezing it gently. As his thumb traced small circles on B's hand, he studied the gaunt and pale face, his eyes lingering in the dark hair neatly combed and the freshly shaved skin. He felt a pang in his chest as he remembered Alfred's red-rimmed eyes when he saw him on his way in. 

There was a breathing tube on B's mouth, connected to the machine on the other side of the bed, and a pulse oximeter on his finger.

And that was it. That was the only equipment keeping his Dad alive.

It was ironic, really, that being attacked while in his civilian identity was what landed him here when he had a life dedicated to fighting the most dangerous beings from this world and many others. Not that it mattered anyway. At least not to him and the rest of the people who loved and cared for him.

B, on the other hand, will be more than a little annoyed _when_ he finds out. The thought made the corner of Jason's lips curl into a fragile and fleeting smile.

He looked back at the books on his lap. It wasn't an accident he brought with him books both of them had read before. It didn't take him long to realize there was no point in reading a new book when he wasn't going to pay enough attention to follow the story anyway. 

"I think I'm in the mood for some light reading," He said hoarsely, picking one of the books and putting the other two on the side-table.

Jason reluctantly let go of his dad's hand and settled back in his chair, the beloved old copy of _Treasure Island_ he grabbed from the Manor's library carefully cradled in his hands. He traced with trembling fingers the inscription on the book's inside cover, penned in Martha Wayne's fancy cursive and dedicated to her son.

Her son, who now lay unconscious on a hospital bed, settled on a special wing that bears the name of her dead husband. Just like he had been for eleven months and twenty-three days.

**Author's Note:**

> Here are the tags I left out: major character Injury, injury recovery, hospitals, coma, and not happy ending.
> 
> So. This was not the fill I was planning for this prompt. The original idea I had was coming together in my head, but when I actually sat down to write it this come out instead. I hope you liked it and sorry for the angst. Also, I have zero medical knowledge, so sorry for any inaccuracies.
> 
> English is not my native language, so any tips or corrections are welcome.


End file.
